Display apparatus



Oct. 7, 1930. R, M, 1,777,551

DISPLAY APPARATUS Original Filed Apg. 14, 1925 (Wu-ve n kw,

' Cranky.

Patented Oct. 7, 1930 r 1 T UNITED-"STATES PATENT QFFICE RICHARD means,or sen An'romo, Texas, ASSIQ-NOR; BY MEsNn ASSIGNMENTS, "To TnoMAs w.mnnnrnn orsan ANTONIO, TEXAS DISPLAY APPARATUS Original applicationii1ed August-14, 1925, Serial No. 50,330. Dividedand this applicationfiled January 7 v 1 Q a a 7,1929. Serial No. 330,931. i a

This invention relates to display apparatus .and more,particularly to anadvertising sign ,of the type disclosed in my .Patent No. 1,698,216,issued January 8, 1929, .of which the. presentapplication is adivision.

One .obj'ect o'fthe invention ist'o provide a sign consisting of abackground having figures painted thereon in pigment colors againstneutral backgrounds and subjected to the effect of spectral light rayswhich change in color so as to impart an animated effect to the Sign asthe pigment colors are caused to be absorbed or clearly presented by theeffect of the colored lightrays which are of contrasting colors andalternately turned on and shut off.

Another object of the invention is to provide a Sign which will attractattention and be very pleasing and interesting to the observer. 7

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein isillustrated an embodiment of the invention. p

In the description which is to follow reference will be made to pigmentcolors and by I this term is meant colored pigments or the colorsinwhichthe images are represented on the display surface. Where referenceis made to spectral colors such reference applies to colors of thespectrum as represented by colored light rays. Reference will also bemade to neutral colors, which I employ as backgrounds, and by neutralcolors I mean such as do not materially change under the spectral colorsby which the images are displayed or, in other words, those whichdisplay no decided color characteristics such as relate to primarycolors, and remain of about the same apparent density undercomplementary or primary colored light rays.

In the embodiment illustrated in the drawing,the numeral 8 indicates ingeneral the display surface on which there is painted a background 9 ofa light neutral color and a background 10 of a dark neutral color. Atthis point it may be stated that the extremes of neutral colors arewhite and black and that there are many color tints which may beemployed for a light background and many dark tints which may beemployed for a dark 7 background, so that in none of the embodiments ofthe invention are the backgrounds restricted to any particular neutralcolor, the colors being selected in accordance with the pigment colorsto be employed in representingthe different images and the judgment ofthe one supervising the arrangement and painting of the advertising orother matter to be displayed. In the said drawing, and upon thebackground 9, there are represented, for examplatwo blocks standingapproximately on end: and indicated' by' the numeral 11, these blocksbeing represented red, for example, and figures 12 and 13 may likewisebe represented upon the said back-f ground, in red, and the formerapparently supporting the blocks and the latter standing upon the upperone of the blocks. Simila r blocks 14 are represented in green upon thebackground 10, and figures 15 and 16 similar to thefigures 12 and 13 arelikewise represented in green upon this background. Red light bulbs 17or any other source of red spectral light rays, and green, blue, orbluish green bulbs 18, or other sources of spectral rays of similarcolor,are so arranged with respect to the display surface that thesurface may be successively flooded with the complementary. orcontrasting spectral 001- ors. In this embodiment of the invention, whenthe display surface is flooded with red light, the images uponthebackground 9 will be obliterated as will also the images upon thebackground 10, but when the surface is flooded with blue light or bluegreen light,

the images 11, 12 and 13 upon the background 9 will appear substantiallyblack, and the images 14, 15 and 16 upon the background 10 will standout substantially white, by contrast with the dark background. Thus,;by

successively flooding the display surface with spectral light rays ofcomplementary 1- contrasting c'0lors,the matter represented inpigmentcolors upon the surface will be caused to appear and disappear. 1

It will be understood, of course, that in the embodiment just described,the images 11, 12

and 13'upon the background 9 maybe represented in green and the images14, 15 and 16 upon'thebackground 10 may be represented in red so thatboth sets of images will appear under the red light but will both beobliterated under blue light.

It will be evident that while reference has been made to the use ofpigment colors in the representation of the images or other matter to bedisplayed, they may be represented by colored lithographic print-s,dyes, opaque or transparent oil or water colors, etc and the spectiveone of the pigment colors and the invention may be employed foradvertising, theatrical, amusement, educat onal and other purposes. 1

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated and described, theprinciples have been adapted primarily to advertising displays, but itwill be understood that this is. merely representative of oneapplication of the principles of the invention andthat the principlesmay be employed in color displays for any purposes whatsoever such forexample as scenic effects, amusement displays, educational displays,walls, cabarets, etc.

It is, of course, essential to employ means for effecting illuminationof the display surface which means will operate automatically,

2. Display apparatus comprising a display surface having backgroundareas of contrasting neutral colors, each area bearing matter to bedisplayed, the matter in each area being of a distinctive pigment colorand the pigment colors being in contrast, and means for displaying saidsurface successively in the presence of contrasting spectral colors eachof which corresponds substantially to a reother spectral color of whichis comple- .mentary to the other color.

3. Means for displaying the effect of animation of separated imagescomprising-a display surface having contrasting neutral coloredbackground areas and having upon said areas the matters to be displayedrepresented in colors having a visible spectral difierence, and meansfor dsplaying said surface at successive periods under light rays of acharacter to obliterate one representation and render the otherrepresentation visible.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature;

RICHARD M. CRAIG; [L. s.]

and inasmuch as there are many flashing de-' vices which may beemployedfor this purposep.

I have illustrated in connection with the figure aflasher indicated as awholeby the reference letter A, which may be a. rotary disc ofinsulating material-having concentric series of contact strips B and Cupon its face in circuit with a shaft D which supports the disc forrotation, wires E serving to electrically connect the said contactstrips and the shaft, and a conductor wire F being led from the shaft toone side of a source of curi rent supply indicated by the numeral G. Aconductor wire H leads from the other side of the source of currentsupply and is connected to the sockets for allof the'electric lightbulbs regardless of their distinctive colors. Brushes I and J arearranged to coact respectively with the contact strips B and C, andconductor wires K and L are led respectively from the brushes I and Jand are connected, one with the other terminal of each socket for alight bulb of one color and the other with the other terminal of thesocket for each light bulb of the other color. The contact strips B andC are arranged in staggered relation so that the circuit will besuccessively alternately closed through the bulbs of the two distinctivecolors.

hat is claimed is: 7

1. Display apparatuscomprising a. display surface having backgroundareas ofcon tr'asting neutral colors, each area bearing matter to bedisplayed, the matter ineach area being of a distinctive pigment colorand the pigment colors being in contrast, and means for displaying saidsurface successively in the presence of contrasting spectral co-lorseach of which corresponds substantially to a respective one of thepigment colors. v

